Injury to animals, such as canines, occurs inter alia by the intervention of outside forces, such as a vehicle, or by accidentally running into a standing obstacle, such as a tree. Additionally, epidermal problems, such as dry skin, rashes and the like may cause locallized problems which by natural tendencies, the animal attempts to treat by biting or licking to alleviate the discomfort associated with the injury or skin condition. It has been observed that animals, such as canines, may particularly aggravate a situation to the point where surgical procedure or destruction is necessitated.
Further, during the post-treatment, an animal has a tendency to gnaw, chew or otherwise get at the injury location which may have stitches, topical dressings or other medicinal treatment applied for healing purposes. Such action by the animal tends to inhibit and prolong the recuperative period and may lead to infection of the injured site.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,383 to Friedman, there is disclosed an injury protection device for quadropods or four-legged animals comprised of a tubular member having transversely opposed cut-out sections including harnessing means for securely attaching the device to the animal. The cut-out sections are adapted to enable the leg joints to have complete mobility, such that the movement of the animal is unimpaired. The device permits of venting the injury to the atmosphere to facilitate healing of the injury. The assembly tends to effect a rubbing of the skin about the support portion as well as portions about the leg over which the device is positioned thereby aggravating the recuperative period.